COLOGNE, Germany – LION Apparel Germany, part of the LHD Group headquartered in Cologne, has won one of thebiggest “single issue“ orders for PPE (Personal Protective Clothing) in the Netherlands. LION is expected to deliver some 1,600 modern LION-V-Force® fire-fighting suits to the fire service Amsterdam-Amstelland (BAA) before the end of the year.
The contract had been preceded by intensive, comparative wearabilitytests involving eight models of different manufacturers. “The LION V-Force® fire-fighting suit was judged to be top of the class by all test persons. The LION PPE convinced with the best wearing comfort and a very high level of protective properties which surpass the required norm EN 469 by far,“ says Paul de Jong, duty officer and project manager procurement at „Brandweer Amsterdam-Amstelland“.
Amsterdam is in good company with the selection of the LION V-Force® fire fighting suit. PPE of world market leader LION is used by many fire services worldwide, for example in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, but also in Hamburg, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and even in Africa by the Ghana National Fire Service.
The new suit is a genuine quantum leap for Amsterdam. The fire service is changing from a dark blue protective suit to a gold model made of the high-tech fabric „Millennia Light“, combined with a Gore-Tex® Fireblocker membrane and a heat insulation inner lining with PUDOTS® thermal technology. The water-vapor permeable, perforated reflecting stripes make the fire fighter clearly visible from all sides and offer excellent protection. The stripes meet the optional requirements of attachment B of EN 469.
Dr. Timo Czech, Managing Director, LION Apparel Germany, and Klaus Hawerkamp, as project manager responsible for the Amsterdam fire service contract, are giving their best to ensure delivery of the PPE within eight weeks. “We have just completed the sizing of all fire fighters in Amsterdam. This is part of our comprehensive service. We were on location with two teams of tailors to take the measurements of all fire fighters. Thus we ensure that each garment is exactly the right size. This is the basis of a high wear comfort and thebeginning of our service undertaking,” says Klaus Hawerkamp. “The new client in Amsterdam, our first large customer in the Netherlands, is very special to our colleagues from supply chain management and quite challenging. But the order of 1.600 suits in eight weeks is routine for our production team. They are working on contracts for over 10,000 fire fighting suits for customers outside Europe in parallel“, adds Dr. Timo Czech.
The LHD Group, headquartered in Cologne (Germany), was founded in 2002. The internationally active company was created as a public private partnership between the German Federal State and the German forwarding company Hellmann Worldwide Logistics GmbH & Co. KG, and the US manufacturer Lion Apparel Inc. LHD is the leading provider of innovative, comprehensive solutions for corporate fashion, work wear and uniforms, as well as personal protective equipment. The range of services offered encompasses design consultancy and product development, procurement, logistics, distribution, tailoring, laundry, dry cleaning and repair. LHD counts amongst its customers big European carriers (road, rail and air), retailers, forwarders as well as armed and police forces, security personnel, customs officers, etc. The group’s annual turnover has increased year on year, both organically and by selective acquisitions. The group took over Swiss company jas AG in 2008 and added the international activities of Lion Apparel Inc. in Europe and Asia Pacific to the group in 2009. LHD became a major shareholder in ForcesLocker Ltd in 2010. Lion Apparel is the global leader in the design and manufacture of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the fire and rescue services. For more information about the LHD Group visit ourwebsite www.lhd-group.com.
